A nurse is caring for an adolescent client who has a long history of diabetes mellitus and is being admitted to the emergency department confused, flushed, and with an acetone odor on the breath. Diabetic ketoacidosis is suspected. The nurse should anticipate using which of the following types of insulin to treat this client?

Rationale: A. NPH insulin: NPH is an intermediate-acting insulin with a slower onset and longer duration, making it unsuitable for emergency treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis. It is typically used for maintenance therapy rather than acute management. B. Insulin detemir: Detemir is a long-acting basal insulin that provides steady glucose control over many hours. It does not have a rapid onset of action, so it is not appropriate for correcting severe hyperglycemia in DKA. C. Insulin glargine: Glargine is another long-acting insulin used for baseline control of glucose. Because it has no peak and a very slow onset, it cannot quickly lower glucose or ketone levels during acute DKA. D. Regular insulin: Regular insulin is the treatment of choice for DKA because it can be administered intravenously, providing rapid onset of action. This allows for effective reduction of blood glucose, correction of acidosis, and reversal of ketosis in acute situations.